It Started in Africa
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- IATA, TATO & TALA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $550 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IT
Email Marta | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A safari to remember
Before settling for It Started in Africa I did a lot of research. The company was suggested by a friend, but I wanted to be careful in my planning and make the best quality-price ratio for such an important trip.
The turning point for me was the caring and helpful attitude of Bernard, the owner of the company, through the stages of the planning. We exchanged almost 50 emails in 5 months and I always received a quick and kind reply.
We chose a Five Days Safari with one day in Tarangire, one day in Ngorongoro Crater and 3 days in Serengeti. Since the Serengeti is immense, we thought of moving to Serengeti North for one day in the hope of seeing the animals crossing the river. Unfortunately, we were not warned that the journey from the Central Serengeti to the North would last between six and eight hours, spent entirely on the main road without taking advantage of the game drives.
The day after we decided to return to Central Serengeti earlier and after we explained to Aaron and Elia (our driver and guide) that we weren't pleased with how the last day went they did everything they could to make our safari the best experience possible. Elia and Aaron were super helpful and accommodated all our wishes: we followed only game drive routes to go back and saw beautiful settings and a lot of animals!
At the end of the safari, we saw 4/5 of the Big Five!
A special mention goes to our trip to Mataruni Village. On our first day in Tanzania, we arrived at 1 pm at Kilimanjaro Airport. They came to pick us up and organized a trip to the village, famous for its waterfalls and coffee plantations. Our guide was Abdul, the main organizer of the trekking on Kilimanjaro: he gave us a warm welcome to Tanzania and after the trip drove us to Arusha to start the safari.
To conclude, my advice is to read a lot about the places you want to see, and the best routes for the period you are planning to go and not be shy about asking a lot of questions.
I recommend this company. They are small but nice, the lodges and camps were very good and the price was competitive compared to others with the same offers.
Thanks It Started in Africa: it was truly an amazing experience!
KR
Email Mathew | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Choice for Tanzania Safari!
My friends and I wanted to travel with Tanzanians owned Company on our safari and decided to book with It Started in Africa Tours after reading many great reviews about them and their involvement in the local communities there.
We had such a great safari, many thanks to our guide Isack who is an excellent guide with many years of experience; and Bernard in their office for arranging our trip for us.
I would highly recommend It Started in Africa to everyone contemplating a trip to Tanzania.
FR
Email Rem Sigutta | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Worth Trip
We went for Ngorongoro Crater safari for a day. We saw different wildlife species like rare black rhino, bull elephant and many more. The trip was well organized and they did what they had claimed. Thanks It Started In Africa for such a beautiful trip.
US
Email Joe | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easy to work with. Responsive to e-mails
Communication was easy. Service was good. We climbed Kili with them and had a great tour guide and team. They then helped coordinate our transfer for a safari in the Serengeti which was good. Guide was okay. Vehicle was a bit old but it was only my wife and I which was a great treat.
I'd recommend them and would travel with them again.
TW
Email Kate | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice choice
Thanks to It started in Africa, we had the most memorable experience trip in Africa! They provide individualized itinerary and reply really soon. I can tell they really concerned what we need and what we asked. The last day, we forgot sending our post cards and left it in the lodge, they helped us send the post cards for free, so sweet! Highly recommend! Awesome!
CA
Email Sarah | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great guide, unorganized office
We had no problem booking and paying for the safari (4 days). There was a lot of lack of communication with when the guide was getting us but once we came (which was earlier then we were told) he was amazing! His name is Dixon, he was knowledgeable, fun, always on time and knew the ins and out of where to be!
The issue arised when we were waiting at a park gate and we were told they sent Dixon the wrong invoice number and it could be a couple hour wait until they sent him the right one (this apparently happens a lot with different companies). We payed with our own Visa and were told they would reimburse us when we got back into Arusha. Once back in Arusha it was a horrible experience trying to get our money back as they were out office. Needless to say, we got our money back but definitely had issues with communication with the office. Our guide MADE our safari!
US
Email Jyoti Sarkar | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very knowledgeable and helpful tour operator
While finalizing my first safari trip with my family I spoke to several tour operators to plan the whole trip within my budget and taste. I found Vanessa is very knowledgeable, helpful and to the point always. In 3-4 months planning period we had 100s of email communication and he responded all ontime every time with eight piece of information. He never tried to upsale and I found him very honest and transparent.
Definitely recommend him for my friends Safari planning.
AT
Email Elvira Weidinger | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
7 great days with our guide Charles in North Tanzania!
Be booked a 6 night/7 days safari (Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorogoro Lake Eyasi visiting Hadza Tribe) with ISIA. We choose them from Arusha based companies because of their quick and detailed communications upfront and their offer was good.
We loved our trip and Charles was a great guide. He knows a lot, sees a lot, clearly loves nature and wildlife and is a cheerful heartily guy and a very good driver. We felt very well and save the whole time with him. The safari travel plan was a very good choice for us and ISIA did a good job in organization, everything worked quite well. We were happy with the camps we chose from a list of options we got from ISIA, especially loved Kati Kati and Maramboi.
We couldn't do our booked walking tour due to weather conditions. So I asked ISIA to refunded the amount and they did after our return home promptly.
So overall we had a great experience and really loved it!
But we have to confirm what several other guests already reported here and on tripadvisor:
Our car was quite run down. In fact all the others we saw on our trip looked newer. Our guide managed problems with the car very well so we barely lost time while he had to fix things (except day one when we had to wait for almost 2 hours for a new car at the supermarket before even leaving Arusha). We are aware that car break downs are quite usual with this road conditions and its somehow even part of the adventure but we would really appreciate if ISIA get new ones to allow the guides to focus 100% on other things and give the guest a bit more comfort. Headrests and working safety belts should be mandatory.
IT
Email Paolo | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing and safe
A reliable company, good car, kind and prepared guide. We went for a private two people and the mid luxury suggested accomodations; all were well managed, clean and breath taking.
Roads and burocracy in Tanzania don't work well, expect to a not so welcoming experience by governor officiers, but fortunately this Company will take care of everything for you.
Email SJ | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Affordable Option
As a student working in Tanzania, I had very little money to work with, but wanted to have a decent break that was memorable and fun. I'm situated in the south, so I did the Southern Circuit (excluding Ruaha, because I already work there).
This was a fantastic service. The safari was excellent and I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone looking for a good value, professional and exciting experience. I am really glad that I chose this company and would happily choose to go on safari with them again in the future, pending a few minor adjustments. Nothing serious, but I would advise anyone going on a safari anywhere, with anyone to make sure that they explicitly tell the company what they do and do not expect of their guide. It is important to remember that you are in another country with different cultural values and norms, so be patient and understanding - realise that your standards and expectations may be different to those of others, and politely discuss them with your organiser/guide to ensure that there are no misunderstandings and everything goes smoothly.
The positives:
1. Food and accommodation was excellent! The guide made every effort to make a long and bumpy journey by road enjoyable. Having a few snacks for the road really made a huge positive difference.
2. Hippo Camp in Selous was beautiful. The staff were really friendly and did all they could to make guests comfortable despite having a few unexpected technical difficulties while I was there. I would highly recommend this camp to anyone.
3. The guide was very knowledgeable and did his best to answer my questions about plants and animals.
4. The vehicle was very comfortable and reliable.
5. The program was excellent, lots of game viewing time and the guide was kind enough to include some short stops in transit between parks for me to be able to talk to local people and learn more culturally when I told him that this was an interest of mine in addition to wildlife. So I really appreciated that.
6. The cost of the safari was very reasonable considering all that was included. I feel that I definitely got what I paid for and would recommend your safari business to others.
Thank you once again for a really enjoyable experience! Highly recommended.